Lettering device



May 9, 1950 L. F. FARR 2,507,045

LETTERING DEVICE Filed July 23, 1945 Zl'l IIIIIIIII III/LII 1111.

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' lowFPam Patented May 9, 1950 UNITE S'l' LETTERING DEVICE Louis F. Parr, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Luparr, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 23, 1945, Serial No. 606,669

9 Claims. 1

This invention pertains to an improved lettering guide for the use of draftsmen, and in related applications enabling the production of perfect characters quickly and easily, all in. full view of the user.

It is an object of the invention to provide a lettering guide of the type described which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its parts, which is capable of being employed efiectively with little or no practice, and which enables the production of a perfect job of lettering, without smearing and without requiring the preliminary laying out of guide lines of any type.

A further object is to provide a device enabling the production of perfect letters, either vertical or slanting, as a single operation, without recourse to shifting of a guide or other template device between the commencement and the completion of any given letter.

Yet another object is to provide a device of the type described embodying a suitable lettering guide or template engageable by the stylus or tracer of a further tracer and pen-carrying member, said member being provided with an adjustable supporting and smoothing foot en-,

gageable with the surface of a paper or other surface being lettered, so as to maintain said surface smooth beneath the pen in the operation of the device, with the pen engaged with or disengaged from said surface, and to facilitate movement of said guide with reference to the member.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a lettering device enabling the production of both vertical and slanting letters with a simple adjustment of the scriber mounting.

A further object is to provide an improved readily regulated fountain and pen element for a lettering device of the type described.

A still further object is to provide an improved and simplified guide or template for a device of the type described.

The foregoing statements are indicative in a general way of the nature of the invention, but other and more specific objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction and operation of the device.

One embodiment of the invention is presentedv herein for the purpose of exemplification, but it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible of incorporation in other modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the devi e of my invention, including a straightedge type guide or template having the tracer and pen assembly operatively coacting therewith;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, with the pen and tracer in inoperative raised position;

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively views in transverse section taken along lines corresponding generally to lines 3-3 and l-t respectively of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 showing the pen in operative position and the tracer in engagement with the template;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view generally similar to Fig. 1, illustrating the pen and tracer device in a selectively available mounting of the pivot arms thereof for the production of a slanted type of character; and

Fig. 6 is a view in enlarged section on line 65 of Fig. 3, illustrating details of animproved ink container and pen structure.

Referring to the drawings, the device of the invention comprises in general a straight-edge type guide or template, generally designated by the reference numeral l0, and a pen and tracer assembly l l which is guided for sliding movement on said template in the operation of the device.

The construction of the template is is illustrated with particularity in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In fabricating the template I employ two fiat strips of a suitable material such as a plastic resistant to warping, said strips being designated l2, !3. These strips are assembled in side-byside relation, with the top strip ofiset laterally and parallel to the bottom strip It so as to provide an overhanging guide ledge I l at one margin of the template and an inwardly spaced guide shoulder l5 at the opposite longitudinal edge of the device.

By preference, the laminae l2, l3 have a surfacing material or coating l6 applied to the respective exposed sides thereof, which material is of a color contrasting with the color of the main body of the lamina. For example, I preferably form the main body of the strips 12, it of a white or ivory colored plastic material, coating the same with a layer it in black. The thus coated surfaces are provided with visible template characters ll by carving through the layer or coating It, to expose the differently colored interior of the strip. It will be appreciated that the excision in the strips is suiiiciently deep to provide a track of substantial depth and of adequate width for the. guidance of I the stylus or scriber of the assembly I! to bedescribed.

A feature of importance in the template structure resides in the assembly of the strips l2, It

with the coated surfaces on opposite sides of the template, whereby these strips mutually offset any natural warping tendency possessed by either thereof. Being secured in this relation by rivets or other similar means ll, freedom from warping distortion of the template is assured, despite excision in its top and bottom.

A point to be noted is that the template characters I! carried by the composite template member ii are absolutely identical in size and inclination to theletters 0r charactersreproduced by the device'in the use thereof. Hence, it is contemplated that each surface of the template will be provided with a representative number of sets of alphabet characters, numerals, symbols, and the like, in different sizes or degree of slant, or in difierent types of character, both upper and lower case, if desired, .thus. enabling the production of a large variety of different types of letters, signs, numerals, symbols, etc.

The pen and tracer assembly Ii consists of a slidable body member it of U-shaped, elongated rectangular section, having a top surface it" paralleling the top and bottom surfaces of template I, and front and rear down-turned legs or flanges 19, 2B,respectively, adapted for sliding and guiding. engagement with .the guide ledge 54 and shoulder 15 of the template iii. In use, theflange I9 slides along and is supported by the surface of the paper 2! being operated on, in the manner of a runner, as willbe hereinafter further referred to.

Atone side of the guide member i8, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, I provide a pair of upstanding spacer and pivot members 22 which are appropriately secured to the flat upper surface I8 of said guide member. Each of thesespacers 22 at its upper end has a pin 22' which pivotally receives one end of a link 23 of resilient strip metal material; and a sheet metal keeper plate.

At the opposite ends thereof, the links 23ers pivoted to a one-piececross head 25, the pivots beingspaced equal to the spacing of the pivots 22' at the opposite ends of the links so that a parallel arm motion of the cross head 25 results. To efiect the pivotal mounting to cross head 25, I employ a pair of pins'or rivets 25' extending upwardly into the crosshead 26 and held in place by set screws 25" threaded laterally in.

the crosshead for engagement with the pivot pins, Adjustment of the freedom oimovement of. the parallel motion linkage is secured by manipulation of the thumb nut 25 at the opposite end-of. the links 23;

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be' noted that the resilient links 23 extend slightly upwardly from their pivotal .mounting.beneath the keeper 24. in a manner to maintain the crosshead 26 and associated parts springably elevated, but capable of heingdepressed with slight pressure of the users finger in use.

The crosshead 28 is providedv medially of its length with a laterally extending integral bracket arm 2'! in which aepinpointed traceror stylus 2t is fixedlysecuredfon guiding engagementv in the template characters 11. of thetemplate i3. At its extremeforwardend, .the crosshead 25v also carries asplit. spring .yoke arrn 29 providing'a springclampfiilinivhich the ink fountain or-ccntainer 3! is clamped. A thumbnut 32 engageable with the split.arm-. serves to draw up this clamp. to hold the container .31 in place.

The container 3!, which is charged with ink from its top, is in. theform of a vertically elongatedcylinder 32 .drawn. at its lower end 33 into rounded form at one side (see Fig. 6)'. Said cylinder has secured to an internal vertical wall thereof the vertically extending hollow tubelilrepen at. This pen internally receives an ink regulator or gauge 35. Pen 3a extends downwardly through the lower end of the ink cylinder 32,.being apertured at 35 to receive ink from the cylinder 32, and the amount of ink which issues through the pen is regulated closely by the verticalposition of pin 35 in the pen. Pin 35 is proportioned in diameter to permit some flow around its sides in any position thereof in the pen. In order to sustain the pin in adjusted position, the same is curved slightly so as to have frictional contact at all times with the interior of the pen 34. I find that a pen of this type. permits exact regulation of the fineness of the line produced and likewise effects a con siderable economy of the ink consumed. In Fig. 6, dimensions are exaggerated.

Beneath the laterally projecting crosshead arms 2?, 29, the U-shaped guide member I] is provided with a slot 35 for the slidably adjustable reception of one end 31 ofa paper engaging member.38.' A nut 39 holds member in adjusted position in the slot; This member extends forwardly through a side aperture 48 the flange E9 of the guide member ll and terminates in a downwardly and laterally bent paper engaging foot M. It is intended that the member 39 be adjusted in slot 35 whereby saidfoot Al is positioned adjacent but out of contact with the pen 3a in the operative movements of the latter, so as to maintain the paper 2| smooth and eliminate possibility of its sticking to the pen when the latter is elevated. Foot 4! and flange l9 support the major portion of the downward pressure applied to member IS in the use of the device.

Inoperation the tracer and pen assembly H is positioned on the template H] in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, with said template disposed over the work andparallel to the proposed line of lettering to be formed. The template lil is .then shifted laterally in one direction oranother for the selection of the desired letters constituting the desired indicia, and, with a selected template letter I! in proper position, the crosshead 26 is moved downwardly for engagement of pen 34 with the paper and engagement of stylus 28 in the template letter M. The stylus is then traced over the outline of said template letter, with the result that the said letter is faithfully reproduced on sheet 2|.

In order to provide a more comfortable manipulation of the device, the crosshead 28 is shaped to provide a projecting finger rest 42.

The parallel arm motion characterizing the pen and tracer assembly assures the above mentioned faithfulness of reproduction, so that it is unnecessary to provide a distorted representation of the letter templates I! on member Ill in order to secure a conventional letter product. This is a substantial improvement over existing devices now on the market which are characterized by an arcuate movementof'a pen and are reliant on a distortion of the lettered product ascoinpared to theinclination of'the template character i'lvwhich is followed by the tracer or' stylus. The paper engaging foot 4! maintains the surface 2| flat at all times and eliminates wrinkles therein, while at the same time, in conjunction with flange l9, supporting" pressure applied to the pen and tracer assembly ll. Thus, the template member 2 may be freely shifted beneath said assembly, without undue binding or cramping of the template agamst'the paper.

In the event it is desired to produce a slanted letter, it is merely necessary to remove the keeper 24 and to shift the pivot point of one or the other of the arms 23 onto a common pivot point for the two, thus enabling the production of a slanted character, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 and designated by the reference numeral 44.

I consider that the above features and advantages constitute a substantial advance over the lettering guides of the simple template type presently available, wherein letters are traced directly through openings in a template sheet, necessitating shifting of the template several times to perfect certain letters.

only the feature of pantographic movement.

I desire it to be understood that the terms used herein are to be construed in the broadest sense commensurate with the scope of the appended claims. Specifically I employ the term pen in a broad manner to include pencil, crayon, brush or other marking device in all claims where the context does not recite or imply. a limitation to an ink-fed marker.

What I claim is:

1. In a lettering or like guide adapted for use with an elongated guide and template member having guide characters on at least one surface, a pen and tracer assembly shiftable longitudinally on said member, said assembly including a body, a movable member, means mounting said movable member on the body for movement relative thereto, a tracer on the movable member engageable with said guide characters, a pen on the movable member engageable with a surface tobe lettered, and a presser member mounted on the body in fixed relation thereto for engagement with said last named surface to smooth and restrain the same.

2. In a lettering or like guide adapted for use with an elongated guide and template member having guide characters on at least one surface, a pen and tracer assembly shiftable longitudinally on said member, said assembly including a body, a movable member, parallel link means mounting said movable member on the body for movement relative thereto, a tracer on the movable member engageable with said guide characters, a pen on the movable member engageable with a surface to be lettered, and a presser member mounted on the body in fixed relation thereto for engagement with said last named surface to smooth and restrain the same.

3. In a lettering or like guide adapted for use with an elongated guide and template member having guide characters on at least one surface, a pen and tracer assembly shiftable longitudinally on said member, said assembly including a body having a depending guide element, a movable member, parallel link means mounting said movable member on the body for movement relative thereto, a tracer on the movable member engageable with said guide characters, a pen on the movable member engageable with a surface to be lettered, and a presser member mounted on the body in fixed relation thereto for engagement with said last named surface adjacent said pen to smooth and restrain the same, said guide element slidably engaging said last named surface, and with said presser member, supporting said assembly for relative movement of the template member and assembly.

4. In a lettering or like guide adapted for use with an elongated guide and template member It is also a material improvement over the distortedmovement types of guides which have in common with it havinga longitudinal guide ledge and guide characters on at least one surface, a pen and tracer assembly shiftable longitudinally on said member, said assembly including a body having a guide element slidably engageable with and guided bysaid ledge, a movable member, means mounting said movable member on the body for movement relative thereto, a tracer on the movable member engageable with said guide characters, a pen on the movable member engage- ;able with a surface to be lettered, and a presser member mounted on the body in fixed relation thereto for engagement with said last named surface to smooth and restrain the same.

5. In a lettering or like guide adapted for use with an elongated guide and template member fabricated of a pair of elongated strips secured in laminated, laterally offset relation to provid a longitudinal guide ledge and having guide characters on said strips. a pen and tracer assembly shiftable longitudinally on said member,

said assembly including a body having a guide element slidably engageable with and guided by sembly including a body having a guide element slidably engageable with and guided by said ledge, a crosshead, means mounting the crosshead on the body for movement relative thereto, a tracer on the crosshead engageable with said guide characters, a pen on the crosshead engageable with a surface to be lettered, and a presser member adjustably mounted on the body in fixed relation thereto for engagement with said last named surface adjacent said pen to smooth and restrain the surface, said guide element slidably engaging said last named surface and with said presser member supporting said assembly for relative movement of the template member and assembly.

'7. In a lettering or like guide adapted for use with an elongated guide and template member, guide characters on said member, a pen and tracer assembly shiftable longitudinally on said member, said assembly including a body, a crosshead, a tracer on the crosshead engageable with said guide characters, a pen on the crosshead engageable with a surface to be let ered, parallel link means mounting the crosshead on the body for movement relative thereto and affording exact reproduction by the pen of characters traced by the tracer, and a presser foot mounted on the body in fixed relation thereto for engagement with said last named surface adjacent said pen to smooth and restrain the surface.

8. In a lettering or like guide for use with a template member having guide indicia thereon, a pen and tracer assembly slidable on said member for movement along a surface to be lettered, said assembly including a base, a pen and tracer support, and means mounting said support for movement on the base, said support having a tracer guidingly engageable with said indicia to trace the same and a pen engageable with said surface to -be lettered,'--and a ,presser foot adjustable-on saidbase for restraining engagement ,withsaid surface adjacentsaidpen, said foot and :base'engaging said-surface to support the as- "sembly' thereon, said mounting means compris- -ing :parallel links pivoted at the ends thereof to said "base and supportqfor undistorted reproduc- .tionby the pen of template indicia traced by the tracer.

9. In a lettering or like guide for use with a template memberhaving guide indicia thereon,

.said base for restraining engagement with said surface adjacent-said pen, said foot and base en- .ga-ging said surface to support the assembly there- LOUIS F. :PARR.

1 r 1C3 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 420,484 Whitney Feb. 4, 1890 472,079 Ross Apr. ,5, 1892 860,562 Paddack July16, 1907 942,877 Auerbach Dec. 14, 1909 1,105,810 'McAll Aug. 4, 1914 2,050,057 Keuffel Aug. 4, 1936 2,050,058 Keufiel Aug. 4, 1936 10 2,199,277 Benedict Apr. 30, 1940 2,375,188 Blake May 8, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15 45,271 Germany Nov. 16,1888 150,647 Germany Apr. 22, 1904 677,185 France Dec. 7, 1929 OTHER REFERENCES Catalog of Eugena Dietzgen Co., Chicago, 111., Fifteenth edition, copyrighted 1938, page 296 (Des. Div.). 

